LibGuides: Caldecott Medal: 1980s

1980s

To see the complete list of winners and honor books please click here.

Winner

Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall; Barbara Cooney (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy HA (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780670533282
Publication Date: 1979-10-08
Describes the day-to-day life throughout the changing seasons of an early 19th-century New England family.

Honor Books

Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy IS (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780688801946
Publication Date: 1979-02-01
Ben wants to be a trumpeter, but plays only an imaginary instrument until one of the musicians in a neighborhood night club discovers his ambition.
Ben's Trumpet [Book + CD] by Rachel Isadora (Illustrator)
Call Number: ReadAlong IS (Read Along Fiction)
ISBN: 9780688801946
Publication Date: 1979-02-01
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg
Call Number: Easy VAN (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780395278048
Publication Date: 1979-10-10
When the dog he is caring for runs away from Alan into the forbidden garden of a retired dog-hating magician, a spell seems to be cast over the contrary dog.
The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy SHU (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780374377403
Publication Date: 1979-01-01
A retelling of the traditional English tale in which a poor man follows the advice of his dream and is eventually led to a treasure.

Winner

Fables by Arnold Lobel (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy XLO (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780060239749
Publication Date: 1980-08-06
Twenty original fables about an array of animal characters from crocodile to ostrich.

Honor Books

The Bremen Town Musicians by Ilse Plume
Call Number: Easy PL (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780440414568
Publication Date: 1998-02-09
A retelling of the Grimm tale in which an old donkey, dog, cat, and rooster, no longer wanted by their masters, set out for Bremen to become musicians.
The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy BA (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780027081404
Publication Date: 1984-10-01
In this story without words, an old woman is pursued by a strange man with a passion for strawberries.
Mice Twice by Joseph Low (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy LO (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780689710605
Publication Date: 1986-05-31
A round of uneasy hospitality results when Mouse and Dog arrive at Cat's house for dinner.
Truck by Donald Crews (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy CR (Easy Reading)
ISBN: 9780688802448
Publication Date: 1980-04-01
Follows the journey of a truck from loading to unloading.

Winner

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy VAN (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780395304488
Publication Date: 1981-04-27
Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle adventure board game.

Honor Books

Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker; Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy BA (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780723262572
Publication Date: 1984-04-01
After hearing the legend retold by the tribe's oldest member, Little Wolf hopes to someday witness the beginning of the buffaloes at the sacred lake.
On Market Street by Arnold Lobel; Anita Lobel (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy LO (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780688843090
Publication Date: 1981-04-01
A child buys presents from A to Z in the shops along Market Street.
Outside over There by Maurice Sendak (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy SEN (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780060255244
Publication Date: 1981-04-01
With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.
A Visit to William Blake's Inn : poems for innocent and experienced travelers by Nancy Willard; Alice Provensen (Illustrator); Martin Provensen (Illustrator)
Call Number: J-811.54 WIL (Juvenile Non-Fiction)
ISBN: 9780152938222
Publication Date: 1981-09-08
Inspired by William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, this delightful collection of poetry for children brings to life Blake’s imaginary inn and its unusual guests.

Winner

Shadow by Marcia Brown (Illustrator, Translator); French of Blaise Cendrars (Translator)
Call Number: Easy BR (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780684172262
Publication Date: 1982-05-01
Translation of: La Feticheuse. Illustrations and verse evoke the African experience of shadow.

Honor Books

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy WIL (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780688009151
Publication Date: 1982-10-01
A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire.
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant; Diane Goode (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy RY (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780525425250
Publication Date: 1982-03-30
Reminiscences of the pleasures of life in the mountains as a child.

Winner

The Glorious Flight : across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, July 25, 1909 by Alice Provensen (Illustrator); Martin Provensen (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy PR (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780670342594
Publication Date: 2010-10-14
A biography of the man whose fascination with flying machines produced the Bleriot XI, which crossed the English Channel in thirty-seven minutes in the early 1900's.

Honor Books

Winner

Saint George and the Dragon : a golden legend by Margaret Hodges; Trina Schart Hyman
Call Number: Easy HO (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780316367899
Publication Date: 1984-10-30
Retells the segment from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, in which George, the Red Cross Knight, slays the dreadful dragon that has been terrorizing the countryside for years and brings peace and joy to the land.

Honor Books

Hansel and Gretel by Rika Lesser; Jacob Grimm; Wilhelm K. Grimm; Paul O. Zelinsky
Call Number: Easy XL (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780399217333
Publication Date: 1989-01-27
A poor woodcutter's children, lost in the forest, come upon a house made of cakes and candy, occupied by a wicked witch.

Winner

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Call Number: Easy VAN (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780395389492
Publication Date: 1985-10-28
A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus.

Honor Books

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant; Stephen Gammell
Call Number: Easy RY (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780027772203
Publication Date: 1985-10-01
The relatives come to visit from Virginia and everyone has a wonderful time.
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood; Don Wood (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy WOO (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780152427306
Publication Date: 1985-10-10
Despite pleas from his court, a fun-loving king refuses to get out of his bathtub to rule his kingdom.

Winner

Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks; Richard Egielski (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy YOR (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780374330606
Publication Date: 1986-11-01
When Al, a janitor, and his dog Eddie, trade their drab one room apartment for paradise a mysterious bird shows them, they soon find out that even paradise has its problems.

Honor Books

Village of Round and Square Houses by Ann Grifalconi (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy GR (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780316328623
Publication Date: 1986-05-30
A grandmother explains to her listeners why in their village on the side of a volcano the men live in square houses and the women in round ones.
Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator, Retold by); Jacob Grimm; Wilhelm K. Grimm; Brothers Grimm
Call Number: Easy XZ (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780525442653
Publication Date: 1986-10-16
A strange little man helps the miller's daughter spin straw into gold for the king on the condition that she will give him her first-born child.

Winner

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen; John Schoenherr (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy YOL (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780399214578
Publication Date: 1987-10-23
On a winter's night under a full moon, a father and daughter trek into the woods to see the Great Horned Owl.

Honor Books

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy STE (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780688040468
Publication Date: 1987-03-31
Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king, who is choosing a wife.

Winner

Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman; Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy AC (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780394893303
Publication Date: 2003-01-14
Grandpa demonstrates for his visiting grandchildren some of the songs, dances, and jokes he performed when he was a vaudeville entertainer.

Honor Books

The Boy of the Three-Year Nap by Dianne Snyder; Allen Say (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy SNY (Easy FIction)
ISBN: 9780395440902
Publication Date: 1988-04-25
A poor Japanese woman maneuvers events to change the lazy habits of her son.
Free Fall by David Wiesner (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy WIE (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780688055844
Publication Date: 1988-04-20
A young boy dreams of daring adventures in the company of imaginary creatures inspired by the things surrounding his bed.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall (Illustrator, Retold by); James Marshall (Illustrator, Retold by); Unknown
Call Number: Easy MA (Easy Reading)
ISBN: 9780803705425
Publication Date: 1988-09-30
Three bears return home from a walk to find a little girl asleep in baby bear's bed.
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia C. McKissack; Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy MC (Easy Fiction)
ISBN: 9780394887654
Publication Date: 1988-09-12
To win first prize in the Junior Cakewalk, Mirandy tries to capture the wind for her partner.